As the fallout continues nationwide over salmonella-tainted peanut products, local sources in the dairy industry say there are plenty of safety precautions in place to make sure it doesn't happen to milk. Kings County has about 150 dairies that cranked out $692 million worth of milk in 2007.

From the dairy to the processing plant, there are multiple procedures in place to prevent diseases from infiltrating the milk supply, sources say.

The No. 1 priority at the JCJ Dairy east of Hanford is cleanliness and proper sanitation, said partner John Draxler.

Any cows showing signs of sickness or abnormal milk are separated from the milking herd until they are tested and deemed ready to return, Draxler said.

Before being hooked up to the milking machines, the teat of each cow is dipped in an antibacterial solution.

After milking, the teat is dipped again, Draxler said.

The pipelines and machines are sanitized after the cows are milked twice a day.

The milk itself is filtered and then immediately cooled to 45 degrees or less to prevent bacteria growth.

The milk is regularly tested for a variety of contaminants, including antibiotics and E. coli, Draxler said.

Draxler's milk goes to a Land O'Lakes processing plant in Tulare.

A Land O'Lakes spokesman at the co-op's headquarters in Minnesota couldn't be reached for comment.

Land O'Lakes will not process tainted milk, but will rather send it to a calf ranch or simply dump it to make sure it doesn't go into the human food stream, Draxler said.

The producer wouldn't get paid for the shipment in that case, Draxler indicated.

If a milk producer has repeated incidents, the plant will stop taking milk from that producer until he or she can be re-certified as clean, Draxler said.

"I know that we are one of the most regulated industries out there," said Draxler. "I think it's because most people basically consider this a product that is wholesome and natural."

Once the milk arrives at processing plants, it goes through further steps to maintain integrity.

Raw milk arriving at the California Dairies Inc. plant in Visalia-- several local dairies ship there -- is kept in an isolated area, as are the people who work with it, said Dean Tjornehoj, director of regulatory and quality management at the plant.

The milk is pumped into raw silos and goes through a pasteurization process designed to kill any remaining bacteria.

"At that point we're assured that there won't be any pathogens present," Tjornehoj said.

The plant has a survey program to make sure the facility is clean, Tjornehoj said.

"We think the dairy programs we have in place ... are sound, and they have been put together by regulatory and industry involvement," Tjornehoj said.

(Feb. 8, 2009)